Without the best portable lap top speakers, our laptops tend to seem like the dullards of the whole computer industry.
After all, our sense of hearing is one of our most important senses.
Without sounds, we don’t hear laptop alarms, warnings, and the audio component that makes videos so compelling.
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Sure, you do have built-in speakers in laptops.
But they’re so small that the sound they emit is extremely tinny and unsatisfying.
Videos and games aren’t as much fun as when you can hear the evocative trebles and booming bass properly.
Portable Speakers to the Rescue
The good news is that you can buy portable lap top speakers.
They can offer much better sound, while they come in more compact designs compared to regular PC speakers.
These speakers can truly make your laptop much more enjoyable to use.
Portable Lap Top Speakers: Factors to Consider
A quick search through Google will give you a rather impossibly long list of models to choose from, so how do you know which to choose?
You can, of course, check out the customer ratings in various sites, and start with the speakers that have a high customer rating average.
Then you can also take note of the number of customer reviews, paying special attention to the models which have received a lot more reviews.
The more popular ones tend to garner a lot more positive reviews, and they’re generally popular for good reasons.
Of course, you ought to read these customer reviews, to check out the pros and cons, and to look over the various features.
When you’re checking out these features, make sure you pay attention to the following factors:
Size and Weight
Basically, you want something that’s just as portable as your laptop is, compared to regular desktop computer speaker systems.
The sound bars for your TVs won’t cut it, either.
You obviously won’t find it convenient to use something that’s too bulky.
Especially when you’re on the road or trying to use your laptop in school, the park, or a coffee shop somewhere.
That means the speakers should be compact and lightweight, and should fit in nicely with your bag.
Sound Quality
One problem you need to keep in mind is that bigger speakers tend to sound much better than their smaller counterparts.
That means you need to find the right balance between size and audio quality.
Even while you go with the more compact versions, your speakers should be an obvious upgrade over the tinny built-in speakers in your laptop.
At the very least, you ought to understand the words when you’re watching a video or listening to a podcast.
For music appreciation, you should also look for a nice bass.
Your videos and music should sound much better, when you have to bother using portable lap top speakers.
Power Options
You have 3 power options, each with its own set of pros and cons.
Powered by an Adaptor
Some speakers come with electrical plugs, which means you plug them into an electrical socket.
The main advantage of this option is that you won’t ever have to worry about battery power issues.
You don’t need to charge up any built-in battery or constantly buy disposable batteries.
There’s no time limit, unlike with battery power.
Requires Power Socket
On the other hand, you’re limited in the places where you use these speakers.
Without any convenient electrical sockets nearby, you won’t be able to use these speakers.
Also, the wires can become an annoying issue, as they can get in the way.
The need for the electrical adaptor also adds to the overall bulk, making these speakers less compact and portable.
Wired to the Laptop
You can also find speakers that you can power simply by wiring the speakers to the laptop itself.
That gives you a more stable connection, and you also don’t need to work right beside an electrical socket.
On the other hand, you’re siphoning off battery power from the laptop battery to power the speakers.
That means you have less power for the laptop itself, and you may end up running out of laptop battery power much sooner.
Again, the wire can also get in the way.
Wireless
This means you don’t need the electrical socket, while you also connect to the laptop without any wiring.
Usually, this means you connect to the laptop via Bluetooth or something similar.
This is the most portable option, since you don’t need to bother with wires.
Issues with Wireless
But you also may have issues maintaining a stable wireless connection.
In fact, some people have trouble making a Bluetooth connection in the first place.
You also have battery issues as well, since your laptop speaker will certainly need battery power.
That means you may have a built-in battery for the speakers, which you’d have to recharge regularly.
Or you need to buy disposable batteries constantly.
Keep in mind that having a full charge may not last very long, so you may end up running out of battery power after a few hours.
Build Quality
Of course, you’d want something that’s durable, so you can expect it to work without any trouble for years -you don’t want something that breaks easily.
Keep in mind that portable lap top speakers are in greater of being dropped accidentally to the ground.
Also, you may damage the speakers if you accidentally increase the volume beyond what the speakers can normally handle.
It would be nice if your speakers aren’t too fragile.
In some cases, speakers may even be resistant to various weather conditions, such as being water-resistant.
That means they won’t get damaged even if you’re not able to get out of the rain quickly enough.
Aesthetics
For most people, this isn’t exactly a top priority.
After all, it’s more important for speakers to sound good, rather than to look good.
But some people prefer their speakers to look nice as well.
If everything else is equal, it’s natural to pick a good-looking set of portable lap top speakers than to go with something ugly.
Top 5 Reviews: Portable Lap Top Speakers
With literally hundreds of speakers to choose from for your laptop, you may find it difficult to decide which models you should focus on first.
To get you started properly, here are 5 portable lap top speakers you should check out:
1. OontZ Angle 3 (3rd Gen)
“Impressive Affordable Portable Laptop Speaker”
Our Rating: 4.5
For those who really care about aesthetics, this speaker system comes in several different colors.
These colors include red, orange, blue, white, black, and pink.
There’s even a “Red Coke” model, with the red background featuring the twisted white stripe in the middle.
Size and Weight
This comes in triangular shape that reminds you of Toblerone chocolate bars.
It measures just 5.25 inches long, 2.6 inches wide at the base, and 2.8 inches high, and weighs only 10 ounces.
The shape may not fit well in your laptop bag, but it shouldn’t be any trouble to fit inside your backpack or carry bag.
Connectivity
This can connect wirelessly via Bluetooth to various devices, including your laptop, smartphone, and smart Echo devices.
The advanced antenna design allows for connecting within a distance of up to 100 feet.
So your speakers don’t have to be too near your laptop or your smartphone.
It makes a sound the first time you pair it via Bluetooth successfully, but you don’t hear the pairing sound afterwards.
There’s also a wired AUX-IN option, for non-Bluetooth devices.
You do have to provide your own 3.5mm cable for the aux-in.
Good Audio
The design of this 10W speaker model includes 2 precision drivers for clear highs and mids.
You also have the downward-facing passive bass radiator for satisfying bass output.
The triangular design isn’t just for aesthetics, as it also enhances the sound quality (especially vocals).
It doesn’t have any trouble playing loud music, so you can safely play at maximum volume.
It’s loud enough that it works nicely outdoors, though the sound quality is good enough for just a handful of listeners.
It’s not a speaker for outdoor parties!
Battery Duration
This comes with a micro-USB charging cable, so you can power the speaker through the laptop or through your PC at home.
At full charge, you can play at ⅔ the maximum volume and the speaker will last up to 14 hours.
It even shuts off automatically when you’re in Bluetooth mode and you don’t use the speaker for 15 minutes.
You can still use this to play your music even while you’re charging the built-in battery.
Water-Resistant
What if you’re caught in a sudden downpour while you’re using this speaker outdoors?
It’s not a problem, as this comes with an IPX5 water-resistance level.
That means it can even withstand water projected from a nozzle, which is more than just “splash-resistant”.
Just don’t let the speaker get under the water, and everything’s good.
This level of water resistance makes it great for use on a boat or even by the beach.
2. Logitech 3.5mm Jack Compact Laptop Speakers, Black (Z130)
“Reliable Logitech Brand”
Our Rating: 4.5
Now if you’re worried about quality and durability, you can at least be assuaged by the Logitech brand name.
Here you have a pair of compact speakers, which are small enough to qualify as laptop speakers as well.
This is one of Logitech’s more popular speaker models, since it’s affordable and does what you need.
Dimensions
This gives you 2 speakers, and each speaker is nice and compact.
Each one measures about 4 inches on each side of the base, with the measurements tapering as you go up.
The height goes up to about 5.7 inches.
Due to the wide base, the placement is quite stable so the speakers don’t topple over easily.
The combined weight of the pair of speakers is 1.3 pounds (a little over half a kilogram).
Power
The watt RMS is 5 watts, with a peak rating of 10 watts.
The cord between the speakers is about 4 feet long.
That means you should just place the speakers on each side of your laptop (or on each side of the desktop monitor at home).
The aux-in cable is about 5 feet long, while the power cable is about 6 feet long.
Controls
The right speaker here offers the headphone jack on the lower left side.
On the lower right side, you have the knob that functions as both the power and volume knob.
Since the speaker is right in front of you, controlling the volume is simple enough.
You can also plug in your earbuds without any trouble.
Audio Quality
The sound isn’t really for parties, but then this isn’t designed for that function anyway.
Because it’s a wired set, you generally have the 2 speakers right in front of you, which means you don’t need to boost the volume that high.
Just set the volume at a reasonable level, and the 5W of power is enough to give you that stereo sound you want.
The 2 speakers are distinct, so you can distinguish the sounds from the left and right speakers.
You also get the strong bass you won’t normally have with built-in laptop speakers, courtesy of the front-facing reflex port.
3. Creative Pebble 2.0 Desktop Speakers
“Directs the Sound to Ears”
Our Rating: 4.5
The Creative brand has long been among the top names in the computer speaker industry, even in the days of the ancient Windows 3.1 operating system.
The brand adheres to its brand name quite faithfully, and the “creative” design of this particular model of USB speakers attests to this.
Unique Aesthetics
Forget about the boring, block-like speaker designs that are all too common for too many computer speakers.
The design of this particular set of 2 speakers was inspired by Japanese rock gardens and their soothing “Zen” vibes.
The speakers are round instead of block-like, though the more sci-fi-oriented may think that it looks like the Death Star from Star Wars.
That’s especially true if you get it in the black color, though you can also opt for the white version instead, which aren’t too large either.
With a diameter of about 4.4 inches across, you shouldn’t have any trouble setting this up on your café table.
The main issue here, however, is that the size and design make these speakers not quite “portable” enough for some laptop users.
Sound Straight at You
When you’re working on your laptop, you normally don’t have your work table at the right height.
The table is usually lower, with the laptop screen tilting up.
That’s what block-like speakers look like they’re directing the audio to your chest area.
But here, the design tilts the drivers up by 45 degrees.
This tilt directs the sound more directly to your ears, so you’re able to hear the audio more clearly.
Cable Lengths
No need to worry about unstable Bluetooth connects or battery power duration.
This is a wired set of speakers, with cable lengths that are just long enough for practical use.
The cable connecting the left and right speakers to each other is 3.9 feet (1.1 meters) long.
So you can just set up the speakers to each side of your laptop.
Both the 3.5mm audio jack cable and the USB power cable are about 4 feet long.
Terrific Sound Quality
For this price range, the sound quality is undeniably terrific.
The balance is quite good, and at the normal low volume the clarity is exceptional.
The bass is also very nice, and it gives YouTube videos and your mp3 music a much better quality.
You can set this at higher volume levels, which several teachers have tried when showing a video in a classroom setting.
There is no distortion even at louder levels, though the bass isn’t as strong if you’re a bit farther away from the speakers.
4. Rokono BASS+ Mini Speaker
“Audiophile-Approved”
Our Rating: 4.0
This also offers a very interesting aesthetic, with a spherical design that opens up in the “equator” area of the speaker.
It’s portable enough with its compact size, with a diameter of about 4 inches.
It also comes in a storage pouch, which helps you to tote it around.
The travel bag is even splashproof, so you can protect the speaker if it rains.
Wired Connectivity
This is a wired model, and it works with any device (laptop or smartphone) that comes with a 3.5mm headphone port.
It works for Apple iPhone models as well or at least, from, iPhone 4 to 6s.
For later models of the iPhone, you’ll need the Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter.
Rich and Full Sound Quality
The sound quality is rich and full, thanks to the 40mm audio driver.
You won’t have to worry about any tinny sound issues, as the bass resonance is quite clear.
The expandable bass chamber really does its job.
In fact, the sound quality is so good that even professionals in the music industry don’t mind using this particular model on the road.
With the 360-degree sound, this is great with the listeners all around it.
Interconnectivity
This comes with a USB charging cable, and with a full charge you can get up to 10 hours of playback.
Aside from the 3.5mm audio lead, you also have a 30-inch audio extension cable.
This allows you to interconnect 2 or more Rokono speakers together, so that you can get the sound from multiple directions.
All these features are explained in the instruction manual that comes with your purchase.
5. AYL Mini Speaker System
“Small Model, Loud Sound”
Our Rating: 4.0
This is another bestselling portable line-in laptop speaker.
It comes with that “open egg” design, and it’s so compact it fits nicely in your hand.
It measures 2½ inches across with a height of 2⅛ inches, but it goes up to 3 inches tall when you “open the egg”.
It’s like a tennis ball that gives you fantastic audio.
It’s extremely portable, especially with the velvet pouch.
Loud and Clear Sound
This portable speaker only offers a 3W output, but the sound is surprisingly loud and clear.
The bass is also exceptional, with the expandable bass resonator doing its work.
With its built-in amplifier, you can even crank up the volume a bit and maintain the clarity.
In fact, this comes with an interconnecting cable so you can string 2 or more of these speakers for a better stereo effect.
Powered By Laptop/Smartphone
You connect this to the laptop or smartphone with the standard 3.5mm Audio Jack.
This cable is only 5 inches long, though, so it’s really just for laptops and smartphones and not for desktop PCs.
It also has a built-in battery with the standard USB cable.
When fully charge, you can expect up to 10 hours of playback.
Conclusion: Portable Lap Top Speakers
Who says you have to settle for the tinny sound coming from your laptop?
If you want to enjoy your background music or watch YouTube videos on your laptop while you’re out of the house, you need the right speakers instead.
That way, your music soars and your YouTube videos become a lot more enjoyable.
Pick the right portable lap top speakers, and your laptop becomes a lot more fun to use on the road!
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